


bubbly

by poiregourmande



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment
Genre: Celebrating Milestones, Champagne, F/M, It's Not A Crush, M/M, Making Out, Making Watcher, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22440388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poiregourmande/pseuds/poiregourmande
Summary: Ryan Bergara and champagne is a dangerous mix. Whenever he partakes in some bubbly, not even two glasses in, he gets this wild craving for making out. Every. Single. Time.2019 turned out to be a year full of milestones, which means celebrations, which means, you guessed it, champagne.And you see, it just wouldn’t do for Ryan to go around smooching his new business partners, especially since neither Shane nor he are single.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Marielle Scott, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara/Steven Lim/Shane Madej, Steven Lim/Shane Madej
Comments: 27
Kudos: 95





	bubbly

Ryan Bergara and champagne is a dangerous mix. Whenever he partakes in some bubbly, not even two glasses in, he gets this wild craving for making out. Every. Single. Time. 

This is perfectly fine when it’s New Year’s Eve and he’s single, and he can, y’know, mingle, but the thing is. 

2019 turned out to be a year full of milestones, which means celebrations, which means, you guessed it, champagne. 

And you see, it just wouldn’t do for Ryan to go around smooching his new business partners, especially since neither Shane nor he are single. 

***

It first happens in Ryan’s kitchen, right after he, Steven and Shane signed the papers to get their business incorporated. 

“We have to celebrate!” Steven declares. “And I have just the thing.”

He opens his bag to reveal a champagne bottle, a fancy brand Ryan doesn’t know, probably a gift from a restaurant whose business tripled since they were on Worth It. 

Ryan doesn’t even think of it at first. He pulls three wine glasses out of a cupboard, because of course he doesn’t own champagne flutes.

They drink to being their own bosses, they drink to cheers of “All hail Watcher,” goofing around like they do. 

Ryan doesn’t even think of his ‘predicament’ until his second glass. He’s not drunk, tipsy at best, but the bubbles make his tongue feel loose, his mouth warm and fresh at the same time, his lips tingly with need. 

Steven’s lips are red from the raspberries he’s been snacking on all night — it’s his thing this week, for some reason Ryan can’t remember. 

Shane’s lips are shiny, still wet from his drink. 

Ryan wants a taste. Either or both, he just needs to get his mouth on a mouth. It’s not like he’s got a crush on his new business partners or anything, they just have nice mouths is all. 

“Business partners,” Ryan says out loud, liking the weight of the words on his tongue. 

“Business partners!” Steven hollers, and Shane refills their glasses. 

Ryan stares at his glass. At Steven’s mouth. At Shane’s mouth. Back at his glass. Ah yeah. That’s how he got here in the first place. 

“Everything okay, little guy?” Shane asks. 

Ryan slaps a grin on his face and takes a sip. “Yeah, yeah, sorry! It’s just real now, y’know?” He pats at the stack of signed papers. 

It’s not like he can tell them he needs to get smooched. 

***

“A free agent!” Ryan cheers, clapping Steven’s back. 

Steven was the second one to leave BuzzFeed — Ryan did it months back, before they even started talking about Watcher. For all intents and purposes, Steven was already gone — sharing his time between New York and LA, working on so many projects on the side, it was just a matter of time. 

But the day they celebrate is the day he’s fully moved back in LA for them, his last official day as an employee. 

Shane pours the champagne, almost spilling in Ryan’s lap when Ryan gives a little jerk as Shane goes in to fill his glass. 

“Oh, sorry,” Shane says. “Did you not want any? I just assumed —”

“It’s fine,” Ryan says, holding his glass upright for Shane to fill. “Don’t worry about it,” he says, but he’s eyeing the champagne suspiciously. 

They drink to ‘Big Apple Steve! Back in Lakers land!’ and they decide to take it easy for the night, eschewing work to play Smash — that is, Steven and Ryan play, while Shane watches and refills their glasses, tosses cheeseballs at them. 

After beating Ryan 6-2 — although Ryan insists that fifth time didn’t count — Steven nods off in the armchair, his empty glass threatening to tip out of his hand. To be fair, it  _ is  _ three hours later for him, New York time. 

Shane grabs the glass and sets it on the coffee table. 

“Beer?” he asks Ryan. 

Ryan shifts in his seat. “Actually… is there any bubbly left?”

Shane pours the rest of the second bottle in their glasses. Ryan, once again, eyes the champagne suspiciously, even though he’s the one who asked for it, but then he’s nodding to himself and taking a long sip. 

Shane has learned long ago not to question whatever goes on in that little noggin of Ryan’s. They drink quietly for a bit, Smash’s main menu music the only thing filling the silence. 

“Shane?” Ryan asks after a while. 

“Yeah?”

“Nevermind.”

“No, what?”

“It’s stupid.”

“Well now you  _ have _ to tell me. Them’s the rules.”

Ryan shifts in his seat, drains his glass. He casts glances at Steven, who’s still fast asleep, holding Ryan’s Paddington plushie tight against his chest. 

“So, you know champagne?” Ryan says at last, with a self-deprecating laugh, a ‘no big deal’ laugh, a ‘funny story’ laugh. “It, um, has a funny effect on me.”

Shane takes a sip and waits. 

“Makes me want to make out. Like, a lot.”

Shane’s eyes widen and he sets down his glass. 

“So, you…” Shane threads carefully. His voice is barely above a whisper. There’s something fragile here, something the slightest mistake could shatter. “Feel like making out now?”

Ryan nods with carefully controlled eagerness. 

“Marielle’s away,” Shane says. 

“Yeah, so you see my problem.”

Shane gives a short nod, drains his glass. 

“She knows, you know,” Ryan says softly — so softly in fact that Shane has to lean in to hear. “We talked after last time.”

“Last time?”

“When we signed the papers. It happened then too.”

Shane shifts in his seat. “Did — did something happen with Steven?”

Ryan shakes his head. “No, I needed to talk to Mari, y’know. But I wanted.” His voice almost dies on his tongue with these last words. 

“Oh. So what did she say?”

Ryan fiddles with the bracelet on his wrist, the one Shane knows Marielle gave him. “We’re — um — open now? It’s fresh and all, we haven’t done anything about it, but it’s there. Feels nice.”

Shane sits back in his seat, moves like he’s gonna get up. “That’s — that’s good, then. I think I’m gonna head — leave you two alone.”

Ryan cuts his eyes at Steven. “It doesn’t have to be Steven.”

Shane freezes. 

“It’s… not a crush thing?” Ryan says, unable to meet Shane’s eyes. “It’s just like. I like making out?”

“Yeah,” Shane exhales. 

The room is hot, or maybe it just feels that way because Shane’s blood is boiling with anticipation. This is a make or break moment the way Shane’s rarely experienced before. Shane is not about to let go an opportunity to make out with Ryan.

Even if Ryan doesn’t like him like that.

Even if Shane does.

“We’re open too, you know,” he offers as a now-or-never kind of thing. “Sara and I.”

Ryan leans in, just the slightest. “That’s cool.” He sounds breathless. “Good to know.” 

Ryan licks his lips.

Shane moves in.

Ryan melts against him instantly and Shane mentally thanks everyone ever involved in the creation of champagne and the tradition of it as a celebration drink. He holds Ryan tight to himself, one hand on his lower back, the other cupping his jaw — he cannot get enough. They make out for what feels like hours, tangled on the couch. Shane takes whatever he can get, entirely too aware that this might be his only chance. 

“This is not a crush,” Ryan says again, pressing their foreheads together as they’re catching their breath. 

“Sure,” Shane answers, kissing him again, desperately. 

If all he’s got is tonight, he’s gonna go out with a bang.

***

Shane leaves BuzzFeed without any fanfare, be it at the office or on social media — but when he gets to Ryan’s place, he’s got two bottles of champagne and a jar of cheeseballs and he’s ready to celebrate. 

Ryan’s already got wine glasses at the ready and they hug crushingly tight before cheersing with Steven. 

It’s a bit weird to Steven — Ryan and Shane don’t usually touch that much, except for when they’re doing a bit. But then again, Shane and Ryan have always had a weird vibe between them, a vibe like they’re so in tune with each other that they don’t need no one else, a vibe like it’s impossible to try and get close to them, because you couldn’t understand anyway. So he shrugs it off and drinks with them, trying not to read too much into it. 

Steven starts roasting Ryan a bit, some light mocking between friends, because he knows Shane will jump in and Steven won’t feel like as much of a third wheel anymore. 

A glass of champagne becomes two becomes three becomes four and Steven feels…

Loose. 

And included.

Even though Shane and Ryan keep exchanging glances (and there’s definitely something happening, every time Shane refills Ryan’s glass, but Steven can’t name it), even though the atmosphere feels thick and charged… for once Steven doesn’t feel like he’s sitting on the bench. He feels like he’s in the game.

“How do you feel, Ry?” Shane asks, and his tone feels… almost dangerous.

Ryan takes a sip, shifts in his seat. “I mean… he’s awake, now.”

“Yeah,” Shane says pointedly, raising his eyebrows over his champagne glass.

Steven chuckles nervously. “I — what does that mean?”

“Ryan’s got a thing about champagne,” Shane says, chill, almost lazy, but slightly teasing.

“A thing?”

Shane tips the bottle, checks what’s left in there. “Yeah, my guess is right about now he probably really needs to make out.” 

“Make out?” Steven thinks he should stop dumbly repeating everything, but nothing Shane is saying makes sense. 

“Bubbles make the guy feel loose. Leave him in need of some smoochin’.”

Steven swallows, his throat dry in spite of all the champagne. “Wh-why don’t you call your girlfriend?”

Ryan fiddles with the wire cage that used to hold the cork on the bottle, twisting and untwisting it. “She’s in New Orleans. But she knows. We’re open.”

Something coils in Steven’s gut. He feels like a Ryan just passed him the ball but he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do with it or how to score. 

“So are we,” Shane says — and Steven had almost forgotten he was here — “Sara and I.”

The clock’s running out but Steven still can’t figure out what to do with the ball. 

“It’s not like I have a crush or anything,” Ryan says. “It’s just a fun thing to do.”

Shane stays quiet at that. 

“Last time, you were asleep,” Ryan says. “We didn’t wanna wake you, but —” 

“You two are together?” Steven asks brusquely. 

“No!” Ryan exclaims. “Like I said, it’s just fun, and like… we feel like you’d be a lot of fun too.”

Steven blushes pink as his hair. 

“You — you wanna make out with me?”

Ryan and Shane nod. 

“Both of you?”

Nods. 

“And… nothing more?”

Shane shrugs, but Ryan shakes his head. “Just a little fun.”

“Whaddya say?” Shane grins. 

Ryan drains his glass, a nervous energy seemingly thrumming through all his limbs. Steven can relate. He feels bubbly all over, barely able to hold the giggles that threaten to burst out at the absurdity of the situation. 

“You know we’re business partners.” His voice gets all high-pitched, because seriously,  _ what is happening? _

“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Ryan says. “It’s not like we got feelings for each other.”

Steven looks up at Shane for, what, confirmation? But Shane gives no sign that he heard what Ryan said. He just moves into Steven’s space, touches his shoulder ever so slightly. 

“Can I?”

Steven nods. 

Shane’s hand comes up to cup his jaw. Steven holds his breath, until their lips touch, and then he lets it out all at once by his nose, almost like he’s been punched. 

Shane… 

Shane’s a great kisser. Gentle, not pushy, but making Steven want more. Steven’s fingers curl in his shirt. 

“My turn,” Ryan says, more than a little whiny. “I’m the one with the champagne thing.”

Shane deepens the kiss, smiling against Steven’s mouth, and Steven swears he’s making Ryan impatient on purpose. 

It’s truly one of the most surreal nights of Steven’s life. He goes from kissing Shane to making out with Ryan, to watching the two of them together… They switch and swap and dim the lights and soon the second bottle of champagne is empty. Steven should get home. 

He probably says so out loud, because Shane mumbles against Ryan’s neck, “don’t be stupid, you can’t drive like that.”

They fall asleep on the couch in a pile of limbs, Ryan’s face smushed against Steven’s side, Steven’s legs in Shane’s lap. 

They don’t talk about it again.

*** 

Happy, excited, weary, overwhelmed. 

A vast array of emotions, and Shane is feeling all of them at once. 

They’re announcing the channel today, launching the trailer. It’s at once the culmination of months of work, but also the start of so much more work. And then what if people just don’t give a shit? It’s terrifying is what it is. 

They’re launching, and then having a livestream, but after that they all agreed to take the rest of the day off. At Ryan’s, because it feels right. Because that’s where they lived all their other milestones. Shane knows they’re gonna want to celebrate, but for once, he doesn’t bring champagne. Just cheeseballs. 

The truth is, he’s sick of it. He’s tired of Ryan insisting he doesn’t have a crush, singing the praises of no-feelings make out sessions. 

He’s tired of taking advantage. What does it say about him that he keeps getting his best friend and cofounder drunk to smooch him? 

And then there’s Steven. Steven who Shane’s starting to like a whole damn lot, and who deserves better than being stuck between Shane and Ryan’s bullshit. 

“Champagne?” Ryan asks earnestly after the livestream. 

“Nah, man,” Shane says, stretching in his seat. “I’m gonna crash if I have one drop of alcohol, I’m so exhausted.”

Ryan purses his lips. “Y’know, fair.”

He looks almost… disappointed? As if… he’d been waiting for this? Was Ryan doing this on purpose? Blaming the champagne while in reality he really just wanted to make out?

“Don’t worry,” Shane teases, “we can still smooch.”

“Oh my god,” Steven laughs, rolling his eyes at them. 

It’s easy to join in with Steven’s hilarity, to avoid Ryan’s gaze, to avoid looking to see if Shane’s words landed. 

It’s easy to collapse on Ryan’s comfy couch and let him and Steven bicker over which movie to watch. 

It’s easy to scoot closer, almost pressed against Steven’s side, where he can smell his shampoo and the boba tea he had earlier. 

Steven cuts his eyes at him for a second, before draping an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. 

From this new angle, Shane can see Steven and Ryan are holding hands. He wonders who made the first move. He reaches over, and sets his hand on top of theirs. 

Ryan doesn’t meet his eye, but he does smile a little to himself. Shane wants to kiss that smile. Wants to know if it tastes like sunshine. 

Instead, he cuddles closer into Steven and tries to pay attention to the movie. It’s a lost cause, though, because Ryan starts rubbing a soft thumb across his hand. 

Shane thinks he might kiss them, after the movie. 

He doesn’t get a chance to. 

As soon as the credits start rolling, Ryan takes a deep breath and leans in.

He kisses Steven, first, and Shane forgets how to breathe. Steven’s hand tighten over Shane’s shoulder, and it feels like he’s a part of it too. 

Ryan pulls away, and cups Shane’s cheek, a fond, cozy look in his eye. They kiss and it’s so different from when they made out before — soft, unhurried. Gentle. 

Shane melts into it. Into Steven’s arm, still around him. Ryan grins into the kiss, but says nothing. 

Once again, they fall asleep in a messy pile on the couch. 

But this time Shane and Steven stick around for breakfast. 

***

A week in Hawaii with Marielle was everything Ryan needed after the holidays, to reset and recharge before going back to work, to the official launch and everything. 

By pure coincidence, Steven is in Hawaii too — they’d both booked it months ago and didn’t even realize until they discussed their holiday plans. They’re not on the same island, and Steven is with friends, but a few times Ryan gets an itch. 

An itch to go see him, just hug him tight or hang out for a bit. 

Ryan does a pretty good job of disconnecting from work, turning his notifications off and everything, but there’s just one little thing. 

They’re about to hit 100k subscribers on YouTube. It’s a big deal. A cause for celebration. Ryan cannot stop checking the number climbing. He can’t stop thinking about Shane all the way over in fucking Illinois, and Steven, so close, a short plane ride away. 

He needs to be with them for this moment. 

But Mari’s smiling at him and snaking her arms around his waist, in that mind blowing swimsuit of hers, and he remembers the whole point of this vacation is to not think about Watcher. The thing is… it’s hard not to think about work when you miss your co-founders constantly. When you’ve got feelings for them. 

Yeah. He took the long way round to get to that point, but he can admit it now. He’s got feelings for Shane and Steven. 

Mari kisses his nose, brings his attention back to her. “I know you miss them,” she says softly. “Do you wanna try calling them tonight?”

Ryan nods, holding her tighter against him. “Yeah, I think I will.”

Marielle surprises him with a private cruise, and for the first time in a while, he experiences what it means to truly disconnect from work. He doesn’t spare a single thought to anything Watcher-related (including Shane and Steven. Look, he loves them, but it’s what Mari deserves.)

When they come back to their room, late that afternoon, they can barely keep their hands off each other. It’s been an extremely romantic day, but since they’d spend it all with the crew of the boat, they couldn’t be as handsy as they would have liked. Ryan dips her on the bed and touches everywhere he needs, kisses her every dip and curve. It’s slow and intense, and she whispers the sweetest, filthiest things in his ear as he takes her. 

After the wave crashes, they drift into an easy slumber, tangled and warm.

When Ryan wakes up, he watches Mari sleep, a tapestry of copper and gold in the sunset. She stirs awake with a smile.

“Hi,” she whispers.

“I’m gonna call him,” he says softly.

She holds his hand the whole time, beaming.

“Voicemail.” Ryan frowns. “That’s weird. He said he’d be reachable the whole time, since he’s the only part of the company who’s not abroad.”

Mari opens her mouth to reassure him, but the room phone rings.

“Hello?” she answers. 

Ryan can only hear her side of the conversation, but she just nods and say “sure” a few times.

“They need you at the front desk,” she finally says, after she hangs up.

“What? Why?”

“Just go,” she says. “I’m gonna take a shower.” She gives him a gentle kiss and rolls off the bed.

Ryan knows it’s useless to argue when she gets this sweet, enigmatic smile on her face. He pulls on a tank top and some loose basketball shorts, rakes a hand through his sex/bed hair, and hurries downstairs.

He doesn’t get a chance to ask the front desk what’s going on.

He doesn’t need to.

Shane Madej and Steven Lim are standing in the hotel lobby.

Shane looks utterly exhausted, but he opens his arms wide and grins, 

“One hundred thousand, baby!”

Ryan doesn’t even register what Shane said, he just rushes into his arms and hugs him close. 

“What — how — what the fuck?” he stammers, laughing against Shane’s warm chest. 

“Come, let’s go outside, okay?” Shane says softly. 

In a daze, Ryan leads them to a little sitting area surrounded by a flowery hedge for privacy. 

“What’s going on?” he asks, unable and unwilling to let go of Shane’s hand, even for a second.

Shane gives a self-deprecating grin. “I couldn’t bear the thought of hitting 100k away from you two. Sara kicked me out of my parents’ house, I was so pathetic.”

“Shane…”

“I’m in love with you both,” Shane says, with the strength of a feeling that’s been growing for an eight-hour plane ride. 

Ryan’s jaw drops and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He stands up and paces, turns towards Steven.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Steven says, “this guy shows up at my hotel and brings me here and doesn’t even say anything. I’m just as lost as you.”

Shane moves into Ryan’s space, towering over him, and kisses him, hard. “I love you,” he says. “I love you and Steven and Sara, and I needed to do something about it. One hundred thousand!” he whispers again, laughing. 

Ryan can’t help it. He starts laughing along with him. Wheezing, he turns to Steven. “You in?”

Steven shakes his face, grinning. “You two think you’re gonna stop flipping my life around anytime soon?”

“Don’t count on it,” Shane says.

Ryan holds out a hand. “Get in here, Lim.”


End file.
